Lightning kills 1, injures 9 at Pocono Raceway

A 41-year-old man was killed and nine others were injured by lightning strikes at Pocono Raceway after Sunday afternoon's Pennsylvania 400. Race track CEO and president Brandon Igdalsky made the announcement at about 7:40 p.m., expressing his condolences for the victim.

"Unfortunately, a member of our raceway family here, a fan, has passed away," Igdalsky said.

The victim, who has not yet been identified, had been taken to Pocono Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Another person remains in critical condition at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Monroe County Coroner Bob Allen said the victim was leaning on his car in the parking lot near Turn 3 after the race had ended when lightning struck the car. Allen said he was not sure of the exact time of the strike, but track vice president Bob Pleban had earlier said it happened around 5:15 p.m.

People immediately around him performed CPR on him, but were unsuccessful. Within three minutes, paramedics got to the man and also tried reviving him, but were also unsuccessful.

At that point, the victim was taken to the track's infield hospital, where doctors worked on him, but were unable to revive him.

The victim was pronounced dead at 7 p.m., Allen said.

Two more victims, one with moderate injuries and one with minor injuries, were taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Pleban said. Five other people affected by the strikes were treated at the scene.

It's unknown if the injured were affected by the same lightning strike or multiple strikes.

One spectator from New Jersey, Kyle Manger, told the website Sporting News that he witnessed people get struck by lightning near the Turn 3 grandstands.

“Me and my friend just ran into our truck during all the nasty weather,” Manger told the Sporting News. "The visibility was very poor and all of a sudden (I) saw a bolt of lightning right in front of our windshield. When it became a little more visible, we saw two bodies next to a destroyed tent with people scrambling."

The severe storm that hit the race track forced an early end to the Pennsylvania 400 and caused damage to tents and gazebos in the infield.

As the storm approached, the track posted messages on its Twitter page, warning fans to "seek shelter as severe lightning and heavy winds are in our area."

Jeff Gordon, who won the race, told the Associated Press he could hear a huge crack as he walked down the pit road during the storm. "You could tell it was very close," he said. "I mean, that's the thing that's going to take away from the victory, is the fact that somebody was affected by that."

Sunday's death was the first known lightning fatality in Monroe County since 2008, when a 17-year-old Olyphant boy was killed at Gouldsboro State Park Beach.